by Sarah Terzo

Created on: November 29, 2008

Resort to Murder is Uneven, but Worth Reading

Pros: A few really good stories, They stay interesting despite common theme

Cons: Many stories are just average

I am a sucker for anthologies, especially mystery anthologies, and I was intrigued by the premise of Resort to Murder. The theme of the anthology is that every story takes place on a resort in Minnesota. The book features writers from Minnesota who are spinning yarns about their own state. Although I've never been that far West, I was intrigued. I felt it was an interesting theme for an anthology. I also thought that it would be nice to explore the work of some new' authors, writers who I had not read before.

I was a little disappointed in the first story of the anthology, "Hills Like White Rabbits." I wondered if the title was a take-off on Hemmingway's famous "Hills Like White Elephants," in which a couple come to terms (or rather, don't come to terms) with an unexpected pregnancy. I couldn't really tell if this was homage; I couldn't detect any connection between the two stories.

In "Hills Like White Rabbits" a man wonders if his wife is having an affair. He obsesses over a snippet of conversation he overhears, and soon takes matters into his own hands. I found the story too predictable and ultimately unsatisfying, in that it seemed to end abruptly without much of a resolution.

However, the next story in the anthology raised my hopes. Jess Lourey's "the Locked Fish-Cleaning House Mystery" was delightful. It features an elderly sleuth who wanders away from her nursing home (cleverly escaping her confinement.) The elderly protagonist is sharp as a tack- and proves it when she crashes a wedding and ends up solving a murder. Lourey created a very interesting and lovable character, and one the reader really wants to cheer on.

The third story, "14-A" was also very good. In it a husband and wife who own a summer cabin in the woods begin getting threatening letters which are hidden in their summer home. The story has an unexpected conclusion.

In "Miss Behavin'" by David Housewright, a lecherous doctor arranges a rendezvous at a medical convention, but finds himself getting more than he bargained for when he lets a sexy young woman into his cabin.

"Out of the Jacuzzi, Into the Sauna" by Scott Pearson, was disappointing. It featured two annoying protagonists, a man and wife, who go to a retreat and end up caught up in a mystery. I felt that the attempted humor of the piece fell flat and had a hard time relating to the

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>